As a truck driver in California, you may sometimes feel pressured to skip on rest in order to make deadlines. However, not only is that a bad idea, but it also goes against national regulations. If you get into an accident due to poor management of your fatigue, it certainly won’t be a good thing for you.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has a page specifically dedicated to fatigue management, which is a key component to driving a heavy truck safely. First of all, they state that fatigue regulation applies to certain types of vehicles. This can include trucks with attachments that have a total gross vehicle mass (GVM) of over 12t, a vehicle by itself that weighs that much, or a bus of over 4.5t and a capacity of at least 12 passengers.

If you drive any of those vehicles, you are subject to these regulations. The regulations can include tracking your rest and work hours carefully and according to certain guidelines, as well as having these guidelines set by your company so that you will know how much work is too much. However, the fatigue management laws also make it clear that it is possible for you to be fatigue-impaired even if you aren’t yet at the limits set by your company.

In short, the regulations are designed to keep you off of the road in fatigue-regulated heavy vehicles if there is even a chance that you might have fatigue-impairment. In doing so, the roads are kept safer both for you and for the drivers you share space with.